


An Outsider

by trickytrinket



Series: Never Let Us Go [2]
Category: British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Tom Hiddleson Fandom
Genre: F/M, Family Issues, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 04:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4333455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickytrinket/pseuds/trickytrinket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That day when Elli Lane had to take care of her sick mother also happened to be the day when Michael Fassbender realised that the friendship she had with Tom Hiddleston was something real special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Outsider

**Author's Note:**

> This one set before my other oneshot, We're Each Other Conscience. Enjoy your reading!

In a fancy restaurant in the middle of Marylebone, Elli Lane has been preoccupied with her iPad for almost two hours. Her inbox was flooded with dozen of emails, most of them asking about her boss’s availability for a short interview, some asking for a photo shoot or an appearance at one of the talk shows. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elli sighed. She had to discuss this first with Michael, sadly that matter had to wait a little longer as the man was still finishing his latest interview for his upcoming movie, Shame.

Seeing she got nothing else to do other than waiting for Fassbender to finish this interview, which should be happening real soon, Elli took a sip from her second glass of lemonade. She fished out her iPhone and found out she got five missed calls from her mother. Frowning, trying to push all those negative feelings aside, Elli decided to call her back.

“Hello? Ma? I am sorry I’ve been very busy. What happened?”

But as soon as Elli heard the voice on the other end of the call, she froze. This was her neighbour. Something unexpected had happened.

“Is she home now? I mean you take her home, right?” Elli bit her lower lip as she listened to her neighbour talking. “Thank you so much for your help, sir. Yes. I will be there as soon as I can. I am at Marylebone currently, working.”

Leaning back against her seat, Elli ran her hand through her dark locks. It was like all her energy had been drained from her body, she just wanted to be home to stand by her mother side, to make sure that everything is where they needed to be. This was bound to happen, they warned her and as usual Elli listened but her mother did not. She kept on convincing Elli that she was fine, that it was okay for her to take this job as a personal assistant to Michael Fassbender. That one job that would force her to be away from home for weeks or sometimes probably months, leaving her mother alone.

“Elli, let’s go grab some lunch,” that roguish voice broke her trance.

“Michael, are you done?” Sitting right back up, Elli fetched her iPad to show him the schedule she had arranged. “We have to talk about your schedule, Fassbender. You can check there your schedule for the next weeks

Noticing something was off with her behaviour, Michael asked, “What happened?”

Elli ignored his prying question, refusing to lift her face to face her Irish boss, “There are several interviews and photoshoot that I haven’t put on that schedule. They are quite cramped already.”

His assistant was not fooling him. Clicking his tongue, Michael leaned in to take a closer look at her face “Elli, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing to worry about. You just need to focus on your schedule there, Michael.”

Elli kept her head down, hoping her hair was enough to shield her tear-stricken face from Michael. And Michael, being as observant as ever, never missed a thing.

“You’re crying! Of course you’re not fine!” Michael exclaimed but then he lowered his voice, trying to light up the mood around them. “In fact, judging by that schedule, I think I’m the one who should be crying now. Not you.”

Hearing his confession, Elli let out a chuckle. She remembered being so intimidated by his presence when she saw Michael on her first day working as his personal assistant. But as soon as he introduced himself, the conversation flew easily between them. He was that kind of person who was able to see the bright sides in every problem. He is a charmer. With that happy-go-lucky and easygoing attitude, it was not hard for Elli to feel at ease when she was at work. In fact, despite after just working for him for a short period of time, Elli considered him as one of her confidantes.

“I just got a call from my neighbour and he told me about my mother. She is sick, wandering around the street alone. I need to go home now. I am sorry, Michael. But she needs me right now,” there she told Michael her current problem.

Fishing out his motor cycle key from his back pocket, Michael said, “Come on then. Your house is in Stamford Hill. Trust me, Lane, my motor cycle is faster than those cabs in the middle of this traffic.”

Weighing down his offer, Elli questioned him, “Do you have extra helmet?”

Already on his way towards the exit door, Michael tilted his head, “Of course I do. Let’s go, Elli. Your mum is waiting.”

Elli didn’t have to be told twice as she almost jumped across the table to follow Michael. Being a skillful driver, he told her once if he wasn’t an actor he would end up being a racer, they arrived at Stamford Hill earlier than her prediction. Taking off her helmet, Elli rushed inside her house and greeted by her neighbour. She didn’t pay much attention when her neighbour retold her once again what happened earlier today. What matters now is her mother so she was off to see her mother who was resting in the living room.

Approaching her mother with tentative steps, Elli whispered, “Mum, I’m home.”

Her mother didn’t utter a word, her expression remained blank. Kneeling down beside her, Elli grasped her hand. She squeezed her hand tenderly, hoping her mother would respond now.

“Ma, this is Elli.”

Her mother turned her head, slowly facing her, “Elli.”

Hearing her mother said her name, that was all Elli asked for today. Letting out a shaky breath, Elli held her mother hand even tighter, “Yes, this is Elli. I am here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re here? My daughter is here?” Her voice laced with uncertainty.

Taking a deep breath, Elli added, “Mum, I was just working. I am not leaving you.”

“I thought you were gone with your father. I thought he took you with him,” her mother spoke in short sentence, her eyes were wild, never focusing on the daughter in front of her.

Elli closed her eyes, trying to calm her mother down, "No, ma. I never leave you. I stay, remember? We were in Berlin.”

Releasing herself from her daughter’s hug and for once since the entire commotion that day, her mother looked into Elli’s eyes. She then cradling her face before pulling her dearest into another embrace, “Elli. My dear daughter, Elli. I thought you’re gone.”

In her hug, Elli kept on saying that she would never leave her. They were together from the very beginning, reassuring her mother that everything would be okay. The older woman nodded, tightening her hug around her daughter, tears rolling down on her face. She continued crying until herself was too exhausted and agreeing with Elli to take her to her bedroom, letting her mother for the day.

After making sure her mother was sleeping, Elli looked around her house for Michael. His schedule had to be finalized today. Michael was sitting on her porch, inhaling his cigar. Apparently he could hear her steps as he now dropped another question at her, "Care to tell me what’s going on, Elli?”

Michael is her boss but he is also a friend. And if they are going to work well together, Michael had the right to know her full story. Just like Elli knew pretty much Michael’s story. And for the first time, the smoke coming from him puffing out her cigarette didn’t lead to her protesting. So Elli sat next to him, telling him the entire story. From her time in Cambridge, that day when her father left her and her mother which forced them to move out to Germany, before they had to come back to England years later. And that day when her mother was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer and almost caused her to reject his job offering. But she did not do that because her mother was not allowing it. After a heated argument, Elli went along with her mother’s words and took the job as Michael’s personal assistant.

_You’re still young and you still got the whole world to see. Don’t waste this opportunity, Ells. I will be fine, don’t you worry about me._ Those were her words.

“No wonder you can be pretty adamant at times, Elli,” Michael commented after she finished her story.

Elli raised both her eyebrows.

“Good,” Michael replied, his wolfish grin still plastered on his face.

Their conversation was cut short by another phone call. Elli answered the call after the first ring, and relief washed over her face when she heard that his velvety voice. Tom’s voice. “Tom. Yes, I am home and mum is resting as we speak. How did you know about this anyway? Oh, I didn’t know my neighbour called Amy too. No, no. You don’t have to be here, Tom. My mum is fine.” Elli closed her eyes, focusing her attention to this one phone call. “Me? What about me? I’m good, Tom. Good, yes. I am good. Good God, I can’t argue with you, can I. Okay then, I will wait for you. Bye, Tom.”

Raising back to his full height, Michael pat Elli’s head, “That will be my cue to leave.”

“You don’t have to, Michael,” Elli tried to make him stay a little longer. A little company on a day like this would never hurt.

Michael swiftly declined her offer, "You have some family matters so I don’t want to get your hands full. Besides, Tom is coming too.”

“But your schedule.”

He cut her off mid-sentence, “My schedule can wait. Just email me the one you’ve created so I can discuss it with my manager.”

“Michael, thank you,” Elli no longer sounded her argument.

"Anytime, Elli,” Michael fixed his helmet and the next second he was already starting up his motor, bringing himself back in the middle of London road. He couldn’t help but to feel like an intruder as he heard that short phone conversation between Elli and Tom. Yes, Elli sat right next to him as she poured her heart out, but as soon as she received that phone call, Michael was not there. That moment was reserved for her and Tom only.

**_  
_**


End file.
